The present invention relates to floor treating machines in general, and in particular to a pad holder release mechanism for such machines.
Floor burnishing machines with pad speeds of 2000 rpm and higher are available in both cord electric powered and battery powered versions. Substantially all cord electric burnishers are of the same basic construction. A motor is positioned over a set of wheels, a belt drive system rotates a pad holder through an output shaft, a pad is carried by the holder and a handle is attached to the machine for operator control. To change a pad on such machines, the handle is tilted back to the floor to tip the drive section generally perpendicular to the floor and expose the pad. To remove the pad, a threaded, clipped or otherwise held fastener is removed, usually without the aid of tools, and the pad is then peeled off of the pad holder, while the pad holder is and remains permanently attached to the machine. Because of its relatively light weight (usually less than 150 lbs.) and construction, tipping a cord electric machine back on its handle to expose the pad presents no real problems.
Battery powered floor burnishing machines free the operator from the limitation of a cord and allow more power to be transferred to the floor than is available from a normal 15 amp wall circuit breaker. Battery powered units therefore offer more work output and more mobility. However, a disadvantage of battery powered machines is that the floor treating pad is difficult to change, since such machines usually weigh over four hundred pounds, the majority of which is due to the batteries, and most require pads to be changed by tipping back the entire unit to expose the pad. In addition to being a difficult task physically, and although the machines are designed to be tilted, when tipped the batteries are placed at an awkward angle and the risk of spilling battery acid is high. Depending upon the floor and cleaning operation, the need to change pads can arise as often as every thirty minutes.
Some battery powered floor treating machines have a elaborate mechanism for lifting the pad holder and pad and tilting them generally perpendicular to the floor. While this makes changing the pad considerably easier, it also makes the machine larger than necessary and adds a costly mechanism.